unanswerable
adjective
un·an·swer·able
ˌən-ˈan(t)s-rə-bəl,
-ˈan(t)-sə-
: not capable of being answered
also
: irrefutable
Synonyms
Examples of unanswerable in a Sentence
the unanswerable assertion that she didn't know much about art but she knew what she liked
Recent Examples on the Web
The hockey gods had other ideas, writing a different story, the one that saw former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy gain his redemption in Las Vegas, the one that left the Bruins with little more than a pile of unanswerable what-ifs.
—
Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Aug. 2023
And, just as haunting, just as unanswerable, why did her career stall?
—Jeremy Lybarger, The New Republic, 24 Apr. 2023
That in essence is the film’s subject — the struggle to move forward after a paralyzing life incident and the frequently misguided advice of concerned outsiders attempting to offer answers to unanswerable questions and balms for incurable pain.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 June 2023
Still, when humans are involved in adjudicating behavior in sports, there will always be unanswerable questions about how those decisions are made.
—Andrew Keh, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2023
But such beauty harbors unanswerable questions—ones that are, as mathematician Robert Berger stated in 1966, provably unprovable.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2023
Song has created a poignant meditation on love, fate, and the unanswerable question of what could have been.
—Odie Henderson, BostonGlobe.com, 8 June 2023
That increase will bring previously unanswerable questions within reach.
—Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 14 Feb. 2023
The questions that linger are unanswerable without more samples: Was the horsepox found in Mongolia in 1976 really the same disease that had afflicted horses thousands of miles away and nearly three centuries earlier in Europe, when the smallpox vaccine was first invented?
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2022
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Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Aug. 2023
And, just as haunting, just as unanswerable, why did her career stall?
—Jeremy Lybarger, The New Republic, 24 Apr. 2023
That in essence is the film’s subject — the struggle to move forward after a paralyzing life incident and the frequently misguided advice of concerned outsiders attempting to offer answers to unanswerable questions and balms for incurable pain.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 June 2023
Still, when humans are involved in adjudicating behavior in sports, there will always be unanswerable questions about how those decisions are made.
—Andrew Keh, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2023
But such beauty harbors unanswerable questions—ones that are, as mathematician Robert Berger stated in 1966, provably unprovable.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2023
Song has created a poignant meditation on love, fate, and the unanswerable question of what could have been.
—Odie Henderson, BostonGlobe.com, 8 June 2023
That increase will bring previously unanswerable questions within reach.
—Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 14 Feb. 2023
The questions that linger are unanswerable without more samples: Was the horsepox found in Mongolia in 1976 really the same disease that had afflicted horses thousands of miles away and nearly three centuries earlier in Europe, when the smallpox vaccine was first invented?
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unanswerable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1613, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near unanswerable
Cite this Entry
“Unanswerable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unanswerable. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
unanswerable
adjective
un·an·swer·able
ˌən-ˈan(t)s-(ə-)rə-bəl
ˈən-
: not answerable
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